1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to improvements in refrigerators of the type which utilize forced circulating refrigerated air to provide cooling in the freezer section and the standard refrigerator section of the refrigerator.
As used herein the expression "refrigerator" denotes refrigerators and freezers and combinations thereof. The expression "freezer" section denotes a cooling section in which the temperature is generally maintained at or below the freezing point of water, i.e. 0.degree. C. The expression "standard refrigerator" section or simply "refrigerator" section denotes a cooling storage region, the temperature of which is generally greater than the temperature of the freezer section.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In my U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,421,338 and 3,486,347 there are disclosed several embodiments of a self-defrosting refrigerator of the type contemplated herein wherein refrigerated air is force-circulated through a food storage compartment. The food storage compartment may be in the form of a single freezer or refrigerator compartment or it may be divided into two or more sections, one section being a freezer section and the other section being a refrigerator section.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,486,347 relates to a self-defrosting refrigerator in which the refrigeration system is completely separated from the food storage compartments in modular fashion to thereby permit rapid defrosting of the freezer coils and easy accessibility for servicing mechanical equipment. In one embodiment, the self-defrosting refrigerator includes a food storage compartment divided by a central wall into a freezer section and a refrigerator section. The central wall includes a first opening to permit circulation of chilled air from the freezer section into the refrigerator section and a second opening to permit return circulation of chilled air from the refrigerator section into the freezer section. A refrigerating compartment is adjacent the food storage compartment, the respective compartments being separated by a wall having first and second openings therein which define first and second passageways interconnecting the two compartments. A refrigeration system mounted entirely within the refrigerating compartment includes a compressor, a freezer coil, a defroster coil adjacent the freezer coil supplying heat to melt frost from the freezer coil during a defrosting cycle, a blower adjacent the freezer coil circulating frigid air through the passageways between the first and second compartments and through the first and second openings in the central wall of the first compartment during the refrigeration cycle to cool the freezer section and the refrigerator section.
While the refrigerators of the prior art have progressively improved significantly in numerous respects no refrigerators have yet been devised in which a consumer may selectively, conveniently convert a portion of the freezer section into a standard temperature controlled refrigerator section or a portion of a standard refrigerator section into a temperature controlled freezer section. In addition, it has been impossible to date to inactivate a portion of a refrigerator while maintaining the remaining portions in active temperature controlled operation. I have invented a technique in which such advantages are made readily available in refrigerators of the circulating air type by the inventive provision of an insulated divider shelf as will be described.